Troy Falls Short to Buffalo in WNIT Championship

Saturday, April 5

Buffalo, N.Y.

4 p.m.

Troy University

24-14,13-5Sun Belt

Buffalo

30-7,13-5MAC

Troy

Buffalo

Troy Falls Short to Buffalo in WNIT Championship

4/5/2025 7:37:00 PM | Basketball (W)

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By: Troy Athletics Communications

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The historic 2024-25 WNIT run by the Troy women's basketball program falls short of the WNIT crown as it fell to Buffalo, 88-84, Saturday afternoon in Alumni Arena.

Troy (24-14) finished runner-up in the WNIT as it fell to Buffalo (30-7) for the second time in 2024-25. Despite the loss, Zay Dyer and Briana Peguero were honored as members of the WNIT All-Tournament team with 16.6 and 16 points per game, respectively.

Dyer led all Trojans with her 18^th double-double on 15 points and 17 rebounds as six players ended with double-figures. Troy shot 50 percent from the field as Khila Morris (11), Emani Jenkins (11), Shaulana Wagner (10), Brianna Jackson (10) and Fortuna Ngnawo (10) ended with 10-plus points. Troy peaked in the second quarter, shooting 70.6 percent from the field to outscore Buffalo 26-19.

The two-headed monster of Chellia Watson (23) and Kirsten Lewis-Williams (18) led the way as the two top scorers, playing all 40 minutes – Watson converted 10 field goals as Lewis-Williams hit four triples. Terah Harness came off the bench in the second half, scoring all 17 of her points via four 3-pointers to lead the comeback. Lani Cornfield also secured a double-double as she scored 15 points and dished out 11 assists with a team-high three steals.

Came Up Short
The Bulls fired back in the third quarter, outscoring Troy 27-20 to enter the fourth quarter down three, 64-61, as Peguero hit a pair of free throws with under a minute left in the third. Buffalo tied the game at 64 0:38 into the final 10 minutes off a triple by Harness, but an and-one by Jackson followed for a 67-64 advantage for Troy with 9:01 left.

As the clock hit 7:12, Ashley Baez polished off a four-point burst for a six-point lead, 71-65. Both sides exchanged blows as Dyer kept the two-possession advantage, 79-74, with 4:40 on the clock. Buffalo's two-headed monster of Watson and Lewis-Williams tied the game with a pair of 3-point plays with 3:26 showing – Watson converted from behind the arc while Lewis-Williams got the and-one to tie the game at 80.

Jackson managed to retake the lead for Troy, 81-80, 14 seconds later at the free throw line, but Harness followed with her 17^th point of the half via the deep ball to take an 83-81 lead. Buffalo managed to bring its lead up to five, 86-81, with 29 ticks remaining off a Jordyn Beaty layup and Lewis-Williams free throw.

Emani Jenkins brought Troy back as she got fouled on the 3-point attempt and converted all three at the charity stripe to make it a two-point game, 86-84, with 0:18 on the clock. Beaty followed with a make at the line, 87-84, after the intentional foul to give Troy a shot at tying the game. Head coach Chanda Rigby called the timeout to draw up the play, but Leilani Guion got stripped by Lewis-Williams on a drive inside, allowing Lewis-Williams to ice the game at the line and win the title, 88-84.

Dominant First Half
Buffalo got off to a hot start, taking an 8-4 lead with 5:20 left in the opening quarter when Lewis-Williams laid it in. The Trojans responded via a 14-4 run that started on a jumper by Wagner, 8-6, with 5:09 on the clock and ended on a Baez to Jackson connection via a layup, 18-12 – 2:14 remaining.

Watson managed a triple to end the first down 18-15, but Baez sparked another run early in the second off a second-chance jumper, 20-15, 0:59 into the quarter. Baez's bucket gave Troy a 6-2 spurt with back-to-back buckets from Ngnawo for a 24-17 lead with 8:17 remaining in the half.

After both sides exchanged buckets, Jackson made the layup three seconds after being subbed into the ballgame, 28-19, opening a 7-0 run. Baez ended the run on a made layup off a Buffalo miss for a 33-19 lead with 5:22 remaining.

Troy managed the rest of the first half, not allowing Buffalo to cut it within seven, 33-26, when Beaty made the layup with 4:28 on the clock. However, a triple and layup by Peguero boosted the advantage to its highest of 14, 42-28, with 1:23 left in the second – Buffalo cut the deficit to 10, 44-34, as Watson made a jumper with two ticks left.

Head Coach Chanda Rigby
"This was a special team. It's upsetting. We are filled with tears because this team is full of winners. They gave it everything they had all season long and all game long. This team took us to new heights, taking us to a shot at a national championship. They wanted to win this game for Troy. We're beyond broken-hearted that we couldn't do that, but we must be grateful for all the glorious moments throughout this season. The relationships made throughout this season will never be taken away. I've never seen so much growth than from this team. I'm grateful for my coaches and the work they put in all season and these players for trusting in us and laying it all on the line."

Championship Numbers
• Troy converted 453 free throws in the five games of its WNIT run. Jenkins' three free throws with 0:18 left broke the WNIT record for most free throws in the postseason run – the record was previously held by Wyoming in 2007.
• Dyer earned WNIT All-Tournament team recognition via a double-double with 16.6 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 47.3 percent from the field.
• Peguero joined Dyer on the WNIT All-Tournament team, averaging 16.2 points on 44.8 percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent from the 3-point line.
• Six Trojans ended in double-figures for the second straight game.
• Despite the loss, Troy shot 50 percent from the field and won the rebound battle 40-36.
• Dyer recorded her 18^th double-double on a 15-point, 17-rebound performance.
• Morris returned to double-figures for the first time since Feb. 15 against Southern Miss with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.